John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 3: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí and other security personnel provided for the two refuelling stops by the US presidential aircraft at Shannon Airport recently; the cost of these security arrangements; the number of gardaí deployed at the Love Ulster rally in Dublin on 25 February 2006; the cost of those security arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9961/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It is standard practice for visiting Heads of State and other similar VIPs to make the Government, via the Department of Foreign Affairs, aware of any intention to visit or pass through the State so that any necessary security arrangements may be put in place to ensure an incident-free event from the perspectives of both the visiting VIP and the local communities. In the case of two stopovers by US President Bush at Shannon Airport on 1 and 5 March last, this standard practice was fully adhered to. In response, the Garda authorities put in place security arrangements at Shannon Airport commensurate with the risk associated with the profile and standing of a President of the United States of America. These arrangements included the deployment of Garda personnel supported by the Defence Forces acting as an aid to the civil power.

It is not the practice and it would be contrary to the public interest to detail the specific security arrangements in place at Shannon, including the number of Garda personnel involved. In this regard, I hope that the Deputy will appreciate that revealing such information about past security arrangements would be manifestly detrimental to the very purpose of invoking such arrangements in the future.

I have previously informed this House that the Garda authorities deployed 281 members to police the Love Ulster parade on 25 February, with an additional 67 member detachment of the public order unit held discreetly in reserve. As the appalling scenes of rioting developed, a further 138 members arrived to assist, including a 47-strong additional group of members drawn from the public order unit. Although for sound security reasons I am not in a position to detail the precise number of gardaí deployed at Shannon, I can say, perhaps to the Deputy's disappointment, that numbers did not exceed those initially deployed at the rally in Dublin city centre, contrary to some media reports. There were fewer people at Shannon for the Bush visits than were initially deployed for the Love Ulster rally in O'Connell Street.

I am not in a position to provide details of the costs incurred by the Garda Síochána in respect of the Love Ulster rally or the Shannon stopovers, as this information is still being collated by Garda management and is not yet available. I wish, however, to comment upon the attempted juxtaposition of policing strengths at the Love Ulster rally and the security arrangements at Shannon Airport. We are dealing with two entirely separate and distinct kinds of Garda operation. The two events were entirely separate in nature and, consequently, demanded an entirely separate response for which comparisons are invalid, except to say that, contrary to what was printed in newspapers, the number of gardaí deployed for President Bush's visits to Shannon was smaller than the number initially deployed to police the Love Ulster rally.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister has not given many details, citing security reasons. I have nothing to go on other than the Minister's assurance that we cannot compare the demonstrations. Only nine people stood in the rain in the middle of the night to demonstrate at Shannon Airport. I hope the Minister accepts that many people will be annoyed to discover that a major security operation was mounted in Shannon to protect one man, albeit the President of the United States and commander-in-chief of US forces in Iraq, while on the other hand there were insufficient gardaí on the streets of Dublin to protect the citizens of the city from a rampaging mob who engaged in wanton violence and caused millions of euro worth of damage to business. Does this not demonstrate that the Minister's priorities are skewed?

Will the Minister tell the House the basis on which he mounted the security operation in Shannon? Did he have prior information that there would be trouble? There was no inkling of it on the Internet. Will the Minister explain how neither he nor the Garda had any inkling of potential violence in Dublin when the Internet was alive with traffic that indicated there would be trouble? The Minister has surveillance of the Internet but this did not require much effort. One need only have looked at the various sites and blogs. Deputy Costello indicated that there could be violence when he spoke in the House. How could the Minister not have a clue what would happen in Dublin when he is the Minister who knows what he knows?

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform does not decide the security arrangements at any event. Such decisions are for the operational judgment of gardaí under the Commissioner. I am not consulted in advance and have no input into Garda security arrangements. I do not micro-manage them. The strength of the Garda Síochána at either event or at any other is not dictated by me so my priorities are not skewed.

I note the Deputy said he has nothing to go on since I gave no figures or costs. He has nothing to go on anyway because his point is flawed. More gardaí were not deployed at Shannon than at the Love Ulster rally. To say otherwise is not true. The fact that only nine of Deputy Gormley's sympathisers turned up in the middle of the night at Shannon is ex post facto. If 500 of his friends had turned up, he would be the first to say if there had been an incident that I was unprepared for it.

Going back to the Love Ulster events, either this House thinks it is better at policing events than the Garda or it does not. I do not under any circumstances pre-empt the way in which the Garda Síochána chooses to allocate resources save to say that it enjoys unprecedented resources in terms of numbers and money. When the main constituents of the rainbow Government were in office, the number of gardaí fell.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

If the Garda has such resources at its disposal, why was it not possible to monitor the Internet traffic that showed there would be trouble in Dublin? I have seen the sites telling people not to go into town because there would be trouble on Parnell Square. I do not understand how the Minister and Garda Síochána did not know about this in advance.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am not acquainted with the websites that Deputy Gormley stares at in the early hours of the morning, but one of them, www.indymedia.ie, has in the past produced interesting footage. On this occasion, it produced footage — from outside — of the Progressive Democrats Party offices being ransacked by a group of Deputy Gormley's type of people.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

That remark is out of line.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It made interesting viewing. We downloaded it and sent it to the Garda for investigation.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister cannot abuse Dáil privilege by making serious allegations against me. He is out of order. I would not condone any such behaviour and I politely ask him to withdraw his remark.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am merely saying that the party and viewpoint with which most people, including me, would most closely associate the anoraked group which descended on my party's offices would be the Deputy's.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister is confusing Deputy Gormley's supporters with the Taoiseach's followers.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

His comments are outrageous. He has abused Dáil privilege in the past to engage in this kind of slur. He misled——

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Deputy Gormley should not take the Minister seriously. His behaviour is par for the course.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My understanding is that the House is debating a priority question for which the time has concluded.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

On a point of order, the Ceann Comhairle cannot allow a Minister to behave in this fashion. He has cast a slur by making a serious, outrageous allegation.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy may not make statements during questions.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister misled the House on 12 December and had done so on other occasions. He abuses Dáil privilege on a regular basis and has nothing but contempt for the House. He should disown the disgraceful remarks he made.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context

That is not a point of order.

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

There was muesli in the air and open-toed sandals on the street.